Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Explanatory Material
August, 2016
Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Silicon Valley Japan Platform (SVJP)
Foundation Purpose
The full force of digital transformation - originally confined to internet services - is assailing all
industries. From farming, mining, construction, manufacturing, transportation, retail, finance, healthcare,
media, to even government, no industry can escape the impact.
The underlying force of this transformation is data: the explosion in the volume of data; and the
dramatic advancement in our capacity to harvest, analyze, predict, optimize, and continuously learn
from that data.
Said another way, all industries are taking off on a rocket ship of transformation: the fuel is Big Data /
IoT; and the engine is Data Analytics/AI/Robotics.
Competitive implications are immense. Current champions of industry and technology, as well as a
swarm of startups, are vying to become winners.
This backdrop creates potent opportunity for strategic collaboration between Japan and Silicon Valley.
Japan has many of the top industrial companies in the world. And Silicon Valley has the most vibrant
technology ecosystem in the world.
While the logic of this collaboration is indisputable, it takes vision and commitment of leaders from both
Japan and Silicon Valley to turn this potential into reality.
Ties between Japan and Silicon Valley have been largely limited to pure internet players and cultural
exchanges. The East Coast has historically dominated US-Japan relations.
Powerful business, academic, and political ties between Silicon Valley and Japan are needed to fully
realize current strategic potential.
Silicon Valley Japan Platform (SVJP) will convene the best practitioners, thinkers, and policymakers
from both regions to: strengthen personal ties between leaders; articulate emergent opportunities to
transform industries; and recommend policies to address economic, social, and political risks and
benefits that will arise from such transformation. The platform will act as a catalyst for the
transformation toward a new emergent world.
Silicon Valley Japan Platform
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Advisors
John Victor Roos
General Partner, Geodesic Capital, Former US Ambassador to Japan
When I assumed duty as U.S. Ambassador to Japan in 2008, I said “The word
Impossible does not exist in Silicon Valley, California where I am from, and the word
Future is synonymous with the word Present. The entrepreneurial spirit can be found
in Japan as well. Much can be accomplished through US and Japan collaboration.”
Throughout my 4 year term as Ambassador, my conviction has grown even stronger.
I believe now is the ideal moment for Japanese companies to invest and build lasting
relationships with Silicon Valley counterparts and to evolve further into global companies.
Yoshiaki Fujimori
Executive Advisor, LIXIL Group Corporation
The rapidly evolving digital technology and the emergence of AI, robotics, and IoT
is triggering a business model disruption, and the 4th industrial revolution is
arriving at a global scale. Can Japan follow this global trend? Can it stay ahead of
the curve? In order to discover new disruptive business models while improving
the existing businesses, I argue that we should seek inspiration in the most
innovative community on this planet. That’s Silicon Valley.
Takeshi Niinami
President, Member of the Board, Representative Director
Suntory Holdings Limited
We are witnessing the dawn of IoT, or the Internet of Things. I strongly believe
that the source of competitiveness in today’s world lies in the ability to utilize the
ever increasing information. The key to winning the global competition in IoT is the
partnership with Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley is the center of IoT technology,
where prototypes are developed everyday. Japan’s unique strength in design,
production and operation will be the source of competitiveness for such
prototypes. Because of the emergence of IoT where “digital” and “product”
amalgamation is key, the complementarity between Silicon Valley and Japan has
never been stronger. The companies that take advantage of this opportunity would
come out as winners of this global competition. I support Silicon Valley Japan
Platform as an important catalyst for the innovative changes.
Joichi Ito
Director of the MIT Media Lab
The amalgamation of the digital and physical world is ever increasing. Take a look at
the manufacturing / logistics industry, where global supply chains are being created
through automation and modularization. However, even the most innovative Silicon
Valley companies in the software field are faced with hardships when pursuing
hardware innovation. This is, in fact, a unique opportunity for Japan.
I expect a new wave of innovative companies to be born through a Silicon Valley and
Japan collaboration.
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Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Organization Overview
Name:
Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Address:
11F Ark Hills Front Tower RoP
Akasaka 2-23-1, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
(Office within Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation)
Official Launch:
August 2016
Co-organizer:
Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation
U.S.-Japan Council
Structure:
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Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Organization Overview
Executive Committee
SVJP is managed by Executive committee of total 8 members (4 each from the U.S. and Japan).
Appointment
Name
Incumbent
Co-Chair
Daniel Okimoto
Chair, USJC Board of Councilors
Co-Chair
M. James Kondo
President, Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation
Teruhide Sato
Director, the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation
James Higa
Member of USJC Board of Councilors
Daniel Fujii
Member of USJC Board of Councilors（Japan）
Takashi Mitachi
Senior Partner, Managing Director, Boston Consulting Group
Secretariat
Kazu Maniwa
Senior VP, USJC
Secretariat
Mina Konishi
Executive Committee Member, Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Academic Partners
In collaboration with eminent academic institutions representing the US and Japan, Stanford Graduate
School of Business, Design School and Biodesign Center have expressed willingness to cooperate to
reinforce the US-Japan intellectual network.
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Organization Overview
Advisors
Eminent leaders from various fields appointed by the Executive Committee will give SVJP members
shrewd advice and recommendation in their areas of expertise.
US Advisors
Name
Incumbent
Bill Bradley
Managing Director of Allen & Company
John Diekman
Founding Partner of 5AM Ventures
John Maeda
Design Partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers
John Roos
General Partner, Geodesic Capital, Former US Ambassador to Japan
Jerry Yang
Co-Founder of Yahoo!
Paul Yock
Director, Stanford Biodesign Program
Japanese Advisors
Name
Incumbent
Yoshiaki Fujimori
Executive Advisor, LIXIL Group Corporation
Kenya Hara
Designer
Yasuchika Hasegawa
Chairman, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited
(Former Chairman, Japan Association of Corporate Executives)
Joichi Ito
Director of the MIT Media Lab
Toyo Ito
Architect
Hiroaki Nakanishi
Chairman and CEO, Hitachi, Ltd.
Takeshi Niinami
President, Suntory Holdings Limited
Akira Morikawa
Representative Director, C Channel (Former CEO of LINE Corporation）
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Summary of Activities
Annual Meetings
Annual Forum
To be held in Silicon Valley. Discussion will be focused on issues and foresights on the strategic
industries which are expected to lead to the global innovation.
Silicon Valley Retreat
High-level get-together to cultivate personal exchanges with leaders in Silicon Valley: Active
members of SVJP set up issues for the next annual forum.
Dialogue and Partnership Development with Silicon Valley Leaders
In addition to the Annual Meetings, members will engage in dialogues and exclusive meetings held in
Japan with Silicon Valley Leaders aimed at enhancing the exchange of ideas and insights.
Policy
Policy Recommendation
We periodically make policy recommendations to U.S. and Japan governments for the purpose of
supporting from policy aspect to create the business environment of long-term cooperation with
Silicon Valley. Also, we cooperate with ”Why Japan Matters” research project of the Rebuild
Japan Initiative Foundation to explore potentiality of evolving Japanese economy and social
culture to global level.
Other Activities
Newsletter Publication
Receive updates about other member’s activities as well as SVJP events
Collaboration Opportunities with other Silicon Valley Stakeholders
SVJP will facilitate collaboration opportunities with academic and research institutions.
Investment Support
Encouragement of business evolution: we support incubation business in Silicon Valley for
Japanese small and medium-sized companies and encourage Japanese investment into Silicon
Valley businesses.
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SVJP Activities
Calendar of Events
January
Quarterly Newsletter
February
Silicon Valley Meet Leaders Session
April
Quarterly Newsletter
May
Silicon Valley Annual Forum
July
Quarterly Newsletter
September
Silicon Valley Retreat
October
Quarterly Newsletter
November
Silicon Valley Meet Leaders Session
December
Advisor meeting
In addition to the above activities, the following will be arranged in due course.
Invitation to Silicon Valley company gatherings
Participation to meetings and dinner sessions organized with Silicon Valley companies, VCs, PE Funds and
academic institutions.
Silicon Valley Briefing Sessions
Customized top management briefing session on Silicon Valley topics of choice
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Co-organizer Overview
Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation (RJIF)
Principle and Mission
1. We will draw up the new design and strategy to rebuild Japan
2. To realize the purpose, we will expand the group of advocates and supporters regardless of race,
religion, faction, region, class, age and gender from whom we will develop and harness the next
generation of leaders.
3. To expand that group, we will build up the new media and public space.
4. We make it principle to be independent. All activities are for the public interests and nonprofit.
5. We neither participate in politics nor engage in partisan activity.
6. We will pursue peace and prosperity, and develop possibility of rebuilding Japan globally.
7. Our activity is made in multiple languages (Japanese and English for the time being) to introduce
the achievement worldwide in cooperation with global intellectual hubs.
Representative
Address
Telephone
WEB
Corporation Form
Established
Yoichi Funabashi, Chairman
11F Ark Hills Front Tower RoP 2-23-1 Alaska, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-0052
+81-(0)3-5545-6733
http://rebuildjpn.org/
General Incorporated Foundation (Nonprofit)
September 20, 2011
Yoichi Funabashi
Chairman, the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation
Former Editor-in-Chief for the Asahi Shimbun
He received his B.A. from the University of Tokyo. He joined Asahi Shimbun in 1968.
He served as correspondent for the Asahi Shimbun in Beijing and as US General
Bureau Chief. He served as Editor-in-Chief for the Asahi Shimbun from 2007 to
December 2010. In 1986, he received the Vaughn-Ueda Prize for his reporting on
international affairs. He won the Japan Press Award in 1994 for his exclusive interview
with President Clinton. He was appointed President of the Rebuild Japan Initiative
Foundation when it was inaugurated in September, 2011.
His books include: The Peninsula Question; Reconciliation in the Asia-Pacific; Alliance
Tomorrow; Alliance Adrift (winner of the Shincho Arts and Sciences Award); AsiaPacific Fusion (winner of the Mainichi Shimbun Asia Pacific Grand Prix Award);
Managing the Dollar: From the Plaza to the Louvre (winner of the Yoshino Sakuzo
Prize); Inside - China Report (Suntory Arts and Sciences Award); Count Down and
Melt Down (Ohya Soichi Non-Fiction Prize); Defeat in Nuclear Power Generation.
On February 17, 2016 he became the first Japanese laureate of Shorenstein
Journalism Award.
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Co-organizer Overview
U.S - Japan Council (USJC)
OVERVIEW
The U.S.-Japan Council is a non-profit educational organization that contributes to strengthening U.S.Japan relations by bringing together diverse leadership, engaging stakeholders and exploring issues that
benefit communities, businesses and government entities on both sides of the Pacific. The Council cultivates
an international network of members, and collaborates with other organizations and institutions to develop
programs that allow members to engage with their counterparts in the United States and Japan. The Council
was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Washington, DC with staff in California and Tokyo.
In 2012, the U.S.-Japan Council (Japan) was created to support the administration of the TOMODACHI
Initiative, and in 2013, it became a Public Interest Corporation (Koeki Zaidan Hojin). The U.S.-Japan Council
(Japan) maintains an office in Tokyo, Japan.
WHY U.S.-JAPAN?
The U.S.-Japan relationship continues to demonstrate its relevance and fundamental role in the Asia-Pacific
region. The partnership between the US and Japan is a driving force behind economic growth, while the
security alliance maintains peace and stability in the region. Built on shared values such as innovation and
resiliency, the contemporary U.S.-Japan relationship continues to evolve and develop new frontiers for
collaboration.
IRENE HIRANO INOUYE, President
Irene Hirano Inouye is President of the U.S.-Japan Council. Through her work at the
Council, she also administers the TOMODACHI Initiative, a public-private partnership
with the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo that invests in young Japanese and Americans while
supporting the recovery of the Tohoku region. She is the former President and
founding CEO of the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles, a position
she held for twenty years. A recipient of bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Public
Administration from the University of Southern California and an honorary doctorate
degree from Southern Methodist University, Ms. Hirano Inouye has extensive
experience in non-profit administration, community education and public affairs with
culturally diverse communities nationwide. Ms. Hirano Inouye's professional and
community activities include serving as Trustee and immediate past Chair, Ford
Foundation; Trustee and immediate past Chair, Kresge Foundation; Trustee,
Washington Center; and Trustee, Independent Sector. She was married to the late
US Senator Daniel K. Inouye of Hawaii.
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Co-organizer Overview
SVJP Executive Committee
【Co-Chair from Japan】
M. James Kondo
President, the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation; Visiting Professor, Graduate School
of International Corporate Strategy, Hitotsubashi University; Visiting Scientist, MIT
Media Lab
He was selected a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum
(Davos) and Inamori Fellow by the Inamori Foundation. Graduate of Keio University
Economics Department and Harvard Business School
He is former Country Manager of Twitter Japan, and also worked at McKinsey,
University of Tokyo and Cabinet Office.
【Co-Chair from Silicon Valley】
Daniel I Okimoto
Chair, USJC Board of Councilors
Professor Emeritus, Stanford University
A specialist on the political economy of Japan, Daniel Okimoto is a senior fellow of
FSI, director emeritus of Shorenstein APARC, and a professor of political science at
Stanford University. His fields of research include comparative political economy,
Japanese politics, U.S.-Japan relations, high technology, economic interdependence in
Asia, and international security.
During his 25-year tenure at Stanford, Okimoto has served as a research fellow at the
Hoover Institution and the Northeast Asia-United States Forum on International Policy,
the predecessor organization to Shorenstein APARC, within CISAC. He has also
taught at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies, the Stockholm School of
Economics, and the Stanford Center in Berlin.
In 1976, Okimoto co-founded Shorenstein APARC. He has also been vice chairman of
the Japan Committee of the National Research Council at the National Academy of
Sciences, and of the Advisory Council of the Department of Politics at Princeton
University. He received his BA in history from Princeton University, MA in East Asian
studies from Harvard University, and PhD in political science from the University of
Michigan.
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Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Activities prior to Official Launch
Silicon Valley Retreat
April, 2014
Summary
Prior to the official launch of SVJP, RJIF organized a Silicon Valley - Japan top business leader gathering. The
event was positively received by business leaders from both sides including then Japanese Minister of State
for Science and Technology Policy Ichita Yamamoto. The success of this event led to the birth of the concept
of SVJP.
Distinguished Participants (then incumbent)
 Nobuyoshi Ehara, Representative Director and Partner, Unison Capital, Inc.
 M. James Kondo, President, the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation
 William Hiroyuki Saito, Representative Director and President, Intecur, K.K.
 Akihisa Shiozaki, Attorney at Law, Partner, Nagashima Ohno & Tsunematsu
 Ushioda Yoichiro, Chairman of the Board, LIXIL Group Corporation
 Makoto Takano, President, PIMCO Japan Ltd
 Mamoru Taniya, Chairman, Asuka Asset Management Co. Ltd.
 Yuma Terada, Executive Vice President, Cork, Inc.
 Takeshi Niinami, Representative Director, Lawson Inc.
 Yoshiaki Fujimori, President & CEO, LIXIL Group Corporation
 Yoichi Funabashi, President, the Rebuild Japan Initiative Foundation
 Hiroo Mori, Executive Vice President, Mori Building Co. Ltd.
 Ichita Yamamoto, Minister of State for Special Missions
Distinguished Parties in Discussion
 Larry Ellison, Executive Chairman & CTO, Oracle Corporation
 Travis Kalanick, CEO, Uber
 Tom Kelley, Partner, IDEO
 Sheryl Kara Sandberg, COO, Facebook
 Jack Dorsey, Co-Founder & CEO, Square
 Peter Fenton, General Partner, Benchmark
 Edwin Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, California
 John Roos, former United States Ambassador to Japan
 Deb Roy, MIT Media Lab
 Dick Costolo, CEO, and Ali Rowghani COO of Twitter, Inc.
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Silicon Valley Japan Platform
Activities prior to Official Launch
Silicon Valley Retreat
April, 2014
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Prime Minister Abe’s Visit to Silicon Valley
Summary
Prime Minister Abe visited Silicon Valley for the first time in April, 2015. He exchanged views with
eminent entrepreneurs representing Silicon Valley. Most of them are concerned with Silicon Valley Japan
Platform.
Distinguished Parties in Discussion
 Daniel I Okimoto, Chair, USJC Board of Councilors
 George Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State (Secretary of the Treasury and Secretary of Labor)
 Steven A. Denning, Chair, Board of Trustees, Stanford University
 Jack Dorsey , Co-Founder & CEO, Twitter and Square
 Jerry Yang, Co-Founder of Yahoo!
 Paul Yock, Director, Stanford University Biodesign
 John Roos, former United States Ambassador to Japan
 Romesh Wadhwani, Founder & CEO, Symphony Technology Group
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Contact: Silicon Valley Japan Platform
SVJP Secretariat
Email: [email protected]